Diane Warren photographed in 2018.
Kwaku AlstonSongwriter Diane Warren will receive the Icon Award at the 12th annual Guild of Music Supervisors Awards on March 20. Mitchell Leib, former president of music and soundtracks for Disney’s live action motion picture division, will receive this year’s Legacy Award.
“We are so happy to be able to honor two individuals who have been vital to the craft of telling stories with music,” Joel C. High, president of the Guild of Music Supervisors, said in a statement. “This is a big year!”
The Icon Award was created to celebrate those who have made legendary contributions to the music and film industry. Previous recipients include Quincy Jones, Burt Bacharach, Kenny Loggins, and Marc Shaiman.
“Thank you, Guild of Music Supervisors, for this amazing honor,” Warren said in a statement. “I see that real icons have received this award previously, and I am proud and humbled to be in their company although I don’t really feel like I am one yet. I feel like I’m just getting started so maybe I’ll be an icon when I grow up if I ever grow up that is! I love writing songs for movies, and I’ve worked with a lot of you on them. There’s nothing like the perfect marriage of the right song in just the right place in just the right movie. I love being a part of it and always will.”
Warren won a Grammy for writing “Because You Loved Me” from the 1996 film Up Close and Personal and an Emmy in 2016 for writing “Til It Happens to You” from the film The Hunting Ground. She has been nominated for 12 Oscars and is vying for a 13th nomination this year for her song “Somehow You Do” from Four Good Days. Oscar nominations will be announced on Feb. 8.
The Legacy Award is bestowed to a music supervisor who has made an impact within the industry over the course of their career. Previous recipients include Maureen Crowe, Bob Hunka, Joel Sill, Gary Lemel, and Chris Montan.
“It means so very much to me to be honored by my peers and friends at the GMS and to receive the Legacy award,” Leib said in a statement. “For me, it puts an exclamation point on the closing of this chapter of my professional career as a music supervisor, albeit mostly as a studio music executive at Disney, to whom I will forever be grateful. I started this journey as a rookie independent music supervisor and finish now having achieved every goal imaginable in my wildest dreams.”
The nominees in 16 categories will be announced via a live streaming event on Feb. 10 on the Guild of Music Supervisors’ social media channels across YouTube and Facebook.
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso honored Shyne with a key to the city during a ceremony held at the East Flatbush Young Men’s Mentorship Expo on Saturday. The recognition highlighted both his influence in hip hop and his contributions as a public figure and advocate. Reynoso also declared April 25, 2026 as “Shyne Day” in Brooklyn.
“Shyne embodies what is possible when a community believes in its young people, and the magic that can happen when young people are given the resources they need to thrive. East Flatbush raised Shyne, and it only made sense to present him with the Key to Brooklyn as we team up to deliver hope and opportunity to dozens of young men today,” Reynoso said at the event, as caught by BK Reader.
Shyne also addressed the crowd. “This is the community that raised me, and it’s important for me to pass that love forward,” he said. “There couldn’t be a better way to celebrate this milestone than coming back home and pouring into the next generation.” He also revealed that everyone in attendance would receive complimentary tickets to his 25th anniversary concert on May 2 at the Kings Theatre.
The show will mark 25 years since the release of his self titled debut studio album, which arrived on September 26, 2000. Even while Shyne was incarcerated at the time, the project debuted and reached number five on the Billboard 200 chart. It moved close to 160,000 units in its opening week.
Earlier this week, Shyne posted a video of himself standing outside the Kings Theatre on Instagram while promoting the upcoming performance. "Can’t wait to see you this Saturday, May 2 @kingsbklyn as we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Shyne Album…..the celebration will continue @crownhilltheatre where I will meet, take pictures and party with you, my loyal supporters, who’ve made Shyne a Rap Legend," he captioned the post. Fans filled the comments with fire emojis in response.
